Project Overview

Site location & description

The Gale Common Site extends to approximately 301 hectares in area. It is located approximately 3 miles to the south-west of Eggborough Power Station, approximately 700 metres to the east of the village of Cridling Stubbs and immediately south of the M62 Motorway.

The nearest main settlements to the Site are Knottingley (approximately 1 mile to the north-west), Goole (approximately 12.5 miles to the east) and Askern (approximately 5.5 miles to the south). The location of the Site is shown edged red on the map below.

The Site lies within the administrative boundaries of North Yorkshire County Council (‘NYCC’) and Selby District Council (‘SDC’). NYCC is the ‘upper tier’ planning authority having responsibility for ‘county matters’, such as minerals development, while SDC is the local planning authority. The planning application will be submitted to NYCC.

Background

The Site was originally consented in October 1963 by the County Council of the West Riding of Yorkshire. The consent established the principle for the progressive implementation of an ash disposal operation within a defined area divided into three stages (Stages I to III).

The Site became operational in 1967 and historically accepted PFA from both Eggborough and Ferrybridge power stations. However, the closure of these power stations means the Site is no longer accepting PFA.

The Stage I ash disposal area comprises the north-eastern section of the Site and was completed in 1994 reaching a level of approximately 69 metres in height. It has since been restored and landscaped. The Stage II and Stage III areas are not yet complete.

The photos below show some of the different areas of the Site.

Stage I (in the distance) viewed in October 2018

Stage III viewed in October 2018

The Site currently benefits from permission to excavate 30,000 tonnes per year of PFA from the existing stock piles.

The Proposals

EPUKI has been approached by manufacturers seeking to source a long-term supply of PFA. The company is therefore proposing to increase extraction at the Site by re-excavating only the part filled areas.

The predominant extraction material would be PFA; however, some areas of the Site contain shale and furnace bottom ash, which also has commercial value and may be extracted in small quantities.

As the UK is a significant importer of strategic building materials, the PFA from the Site will help reduce the economy’s need for foreign imports, support more sustainable construction and help businesses in the region.

The key elements of the proposals can be summarised as follows:

the extraction of up to 1 million tonnes per annum of PFA over a 25 year period;

basic processing on site, before onward transfer to customers;

approximately 25 on-site staff;

extraction from Stage II, Stage III and the lagoons only;

stage 1 (the fully restored part of the Site) retained in its current form;

phased programme of extraction and restoration;

extraction areas restored to a flat landform; and

assumed export by road, owing to the nature and location of customers.

The plan below shows the boundary of the Site (edged blue) and the proposed extraction areas (edged orange).

What is PFA used for?

PFA is ash left over after burning coal in power stations. Many millions of tonnes have been produced across the UK.

PFA is light weight, low polluting and chemically stable (inert), and consistent in texture and grain size. Therefore, PFA can be recycled for a range of uses, such as:

road construction;

building embankments;

restoring derelict land;

as a part substitute for cement in concrete; and

manufacturing construction blocks, tiles and slabs.

The diagram below shows some typical uses for PFA.

Source: UK Quality Ash Association

What happens next?

The diagram below shows the main stages of the planning process for the project. Following on from the public consultation events the final planning application was formally validated by North Yorkshire County Council on 24 June 2019. A decision is likely to be issued during Q1 2020.